German 20 Mark Wilhelm I Gold Coins are subtantially scarcer than the more commonly seen Wilhelm II varieties. While many millions were minted, a great many were lost through through the course of the two world wars that very few survived into the modern era. NGC suggested retail for similarly conditioned coins is $385 a piece, a roughly $50 premium to those offered here.

Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig (1797-1888) ascended to the Prussian throne in 1861. Showing little political interest, his primary goal upon gaining power was to reorganize and strengthen the Prussian army. He was met with opposition from the Prussian legislature, and his desire to remain politically neutral led to his appointment of Otto von Bismark as his prime minister in 1862. Bismark proved to be far more historically significant than Wilhelm I, engaging Prussia in a number of conflicts aimed at attaining the goal of a unified German Empire. Perhaps the most notable of these conflicts was the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. Upon the defeat and surrender of Napoleon III at Sedan, Wilhelm I was proclaimed the first emperor of Germany (Kaiser) in 1871. These events, and the conflicts that ensued between Germany and France, eventually escalated into World War I.